The Crazy Type of Sex That Supposedly Brings You Closer To Your Partner

What are the first things that come to mind if you're wanting to become closer to your partner: candles, a massage, romantic music and a bottle of wine? If so, you're probably like the majority of the population who've been brought up following traditional dating practices.

But in what is one of the most bizarre studies of 2016, it seems you've been doing it all wrong, gents: research from the journal Psychology of Consciousness: Theory, Research and Practice found the best way to become closer to your partner and achieve mindfulness is taking part in BDSM sex.

Wait, what? The best ways to become closer to your partner supposedly include:

Spanking

Whipping

Tying them up

Participating in dominant/submissive roleplay

Study author Brad Sagarin, professor in the department of psychology at Northern Illinois University, offers an explanation as to how this crazy sex act actually brings couples closer together.

Getty Images

"The rest of the world drops away and someone is completely focused on what they're doing," Sagarin says.

The study analysed seven couples and got them to participate in BDSM activities for as long as they felt like. All seven couples reported feeling less stressed and in better moods when they were done, finding that the emphasis on sensations made BDSM a great way to detach from reality.

"This may be an effective thing for people who otherwise have a hard time getting out of their intellectual head," Sagarin told Time.com.

"BDSM, because of the intense sensations and potentially because of the restriction of movement, may have the ability to put someone in the here and now in a way that they may find more difficult to achieve through other means."

To each their own, but it's safe to say we'll probably stick with the wine and candles.